Web Enabling a Bibliographic Database of Indian Biomedical Journals: IndMED

A Dissertation for the partial fulfillment of M.S. (Software Systems) Degree from BIRLA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCE, PILANI (RAJASTHAN); 2001.The project aims to provide access through web to a bibliographic database called IndMED. The database is a product of Indian Medlars Centre (IMC, a division of National Informatics Centre) and has data relating to references to articles published in India’s learned biomedical journals. The scope of this project is limited to providing a web-based user interface for database searching and developing the CGI for Web-Database Connectivity. The project was planned to ensure its scheduled completion. A survey of relevant research and technologies pertaining to Web Interface, Web-Database Connectivity and DBMS have been made and briefly described in the dissertation. Interview, Questionnaire and Observation of similar systems were utilized to determine the requirements of the proposed system. Specification of the proposed system was then based on the requirements. After the requirements and the specification of the proposed system was finalized an Analysis Model consisting of Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Entity-Relationship Diagram (ERD) was developed. Design of the system was then developed for the sub-systems – Web-Interface, Web-database Connectivity and DBMS - so the requirements and specifications are met. The Web-Interface mainly consists of html pages i.e. Simple Search Form, Minimal Search Form and Advanced Search Form and the dynamically generated by CGI the Search Result Screen. The Web-Database Connectivity sub-system consists of PERL Scripts dealing with Processing of data submitted from html forms, Variables assignment, Error Trap, Formulation of query string which can passed on to the DBMS sub-system and Html Patching of the output of the database in response to the query. The implementation of the system includes: the screens along with html code written for various search forms and generated by the CGI for the Web-Interface, Perl Scripts (IMSS.PL; IMAS.PL; IMRS.PL) for the CGI and the Database Structure, Fields included in Inverted File Index of the Database and Display Formats for the DBMS sub-system. The system thus developed was tested to meet the tests prescribed by the system specification. The final product has been integrated into the Home-page of IMC at the URL http://indmed.nic.in . A user help document for searching is also included. The system developed has scope for future research and refinement in regard to relevancy ranking, federated searching, links to full text articles and other material relevant to the user query available on the Internet along with the results from IndMED

Brahma

The poem ‘Brahma’, not Brahmā who is a god entrusted with the charge of creation, refers to creative element in general. A mahāvākya, or the great saying, “Aham Brahmāsmi!”, or I am Brahma, or the creative element, from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad, a Hindu scripture, deems, especially, the male human as the creator. The practical creative element with which males have been endowed is recognized as vīrya, or semen, throughout the Indian tradition. Since males are placed on par with the creator, who has been recognized above as god Brahmā, due to semen, the semen becomes an asset whose wasteful expenditure is prohibited except in the case of procreation, especially, of male progeny even in contemporary India. In short, the poem ‘Brahma’ is about the wasteful expenditure of the creative element. Thus, it unseats the males from the position of power as creators or quasi-gods

PREVALENCE, PATTERNS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN INDIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Background: As physical activity is beneficial for overall health, regular surveillance is essential among the populace. In India, there is a paucity of data regarding physical activity. The present study was aimed to explore the prevalence, patterns and associated factors of physical activity in university students.Methods: A total of 255 students were interviewed using IPAQ long form. Demographic data including age, height, weight, stay and place of residence was self-reported by subjects. PA levels were presented as median and percentages. Chi-square test was employed to estimate the association between the categorical variables.  Results: In the overall sample, 11.37% were inactive, 73.73% were moderately active and 14.9% were found to be highly active. Walking was identified as a major contributor in females while vigorous activity contributed maximally in males. The Leisure-time domain was observed as major contributor and work domain was the least contributor to the total PA levels. Significant associations were seen between physical activity and independent factors such as gender, Stay and BMI.Conclusions: Majority of university students had moderate levels of physical activity. What is new? This study explores a new fact that being a hostler is significantly associated with low levels of physical activity among university students.   Article visualizations

An Initial Study on the Effectiveness of TM Online Customer Care Service

The purpose of this research is to study the effectiveness of TM Online Customer Care Services at Telekom Malaysia Bhd used for rendering services to all TM customers as an alternative support or a helpdesk service. The aims are to identify the effectiveness the Online Customer Care Service and to provide recommendations for the future improvement of the system. In this study, TM customers in various types of services were surveyed and the results showed that there are four main factors that influence the effectiveness of the TM Online Customer Care Services. These factors are customers' behavior and attitude, technology and system, interactive applications and characteristics of TM Staff, and the paper discusses these factors in detail with an emphasis on the role of the TM Online Customer Care Services

Extent of variability in fruit morphological characters of local mango germplasm

  A study was conducted on twenty five genotypes of seedling Mangoes to examine fruit morphological characters. Fruit shape of the evaluated germplasm varied enormously and fruits of obovoid, elliptic, round and oblong shapes were found. Fruit apex shape in the evaluated plants was round, acute and obtuse. Depth of fruit stalk cavity was either absent, shallow and of medium type, whereas, fruit neck prominence was absent to slightly prominent in the tested plants. Shape of fruit ventral shoulder was varied and found to be slopping abruptly, rising and then rounded and long curve type in the evaluated germplasm. Fruit beak varies from pointed to perceptible type and fruit sinus was absent to shallow type in the fruits from different plants. Fruit attractiveness varies from very good to excellent and fruit colour from greenish yellow to green colour of fruit skin at maturity was noted in fruits from selected trees. Peel colour of AA-15 was different amongst all the genotypes which were green with red blush. Pulp colour varied from light orange, yellow orange, orange yellow, yellow and light yellow, whereas, pulp texture was soft to intermediate in the evaluated germplasm. Key words: Mangifera indica; Genotype susceptibility; Punjab; India.

A study of the Topographical Anatomy of the External laryngeal Branch of Superior Laryngeal Nerve in patients undergoing Thyroidectomy

INTRODUCTION: Thyroidectomy is a frequently performed surgery all over the world. One forgotten and usually ignored complication is voice change. This can either be due to recurrent laryngeal nerve injury or external laryngeal nerve injury. The pattern of voice change varies in each of these injuries. Identifying the nerves during the surgery and a comprehensive knowledge about the variants of the nerves can be beneficial to the surgeon. AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To find out the prevalence of various courses of external branch of superior laryngeal nerve in patients undergoing thyroidectomy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 50 patients undergoing thyroidectomy in the Department of General Surgery from April 2016 to September 2016 were studied. The course of external laryngeal nerve was classified according to Kierner Classification. RESULTS: The total number of nerves analysed were 83. The mean length of nerve was 2.21 cm. The most common type of EBSLN was type 1 [46.98%]. The second most common type of EBSLN was type 2[25.3%]. The third most common type of nerve was the nerve could not be identified in 22.89% of cases. The fourth most common type of type 4 nerve [4.81%]. There was no type 4 nerve identified in this study. CONCLUSION: The description of various courses of external branch of superior laryngeal nerve and its routine identification can minimise risk of iatrogenic injury to the nerve during thyroidectomy

Vegetative characteristics of elite seedling mango germplasm in two districts of Punjab

The present investigations were carried out in full grown mango trees under Amritsar and Gurdaspur conditions of the Punjab. The various vegetative characters were studied. The considerable differences were observed among the germplasm under study. The highest measure for plant height and canopy volume had been exhibited by the genotype AKS-1. Genotype AR-1 exhibited a wide range of tangible diversity in trunk circumference (410.00 cm). The highest tree spread was measured in genotype AKS-1 (15.50m). The petiole length of the evaluated genotypes ranged from 2.00 to 4.50 cm. Conclusively all the genotypes were differ in vegetative character

TYPE A BEHAVIOR PATTERN IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG MALE YOUNG ADULTS: AN EX POST FACTO ANALYSIS

Background: Previous research regarding the relationship between personality traits and physical activity has been mainly focused on big five personality traits whereas the studies regarding Type A behavior pattern in relation to physical activity are scarce. The present study is aimed to relate personality types and PA levels.Methods: To attain the objective, a total of 132 young male adults were recruited and asked to fill two questionnaires: Global Physical Activity Questionnaire and a personality assessment scale. Associations between the categorical variables were examined by applying the Chi-Square test.Results: Findings revealed that associations between personality types and physical activity levels were statistically significant (p< .05).Conclusions: Participants having Type A behavior pattern had high levels of physical activity whereas Type B personalities were largely low active. Furthermore, participants with balanced personality type were found to have moderate to high activity levels.   Article visualizations

Measurement of corporate social performance: an Indian perspective

Kansal, M ORCiD: 0000-0003-4392-1072Purpose - This paper aims to: design a comprehensive, review-based and statistically tested corporate social responsibility disclosure (CSRD) index; measure item-wise and theme-wise the social performance of the top 82 companies in India; and investigate item-wise and theme-wise the variations in CSRD. Design/methodology/approach - The paper presents an empirical study of CSRD in 2009-2010, using content analysis, Cronbach's α, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapiro-Wilk tests of normality and a six point scale (0-5), mean, skewness, kurtosis, and Levene's, Kruskal-Wallis's and Mood's median tests for analysis and interpretation. Findings - CSRD shows less satisfactory social performance, mainly narrative, and varies significantly among items and themes. Community development, with a mean score of 14.30, is the most disclosed theme, followed by HR, with a score of 11.20. The human element is the center of social performance in India. More than equal focus should be given to the environment and to emissions, which impact the greater interests of the world. Some burning global issues like water usage, alternative sources of energy, product safety and innovation have not received adequate attention. Research limitations/implications - The study offers ample scope for the further studies as each and every theme and item considered in the model/index requires individual focus to serve the future generations of mankind. Longitudinal/transnational studies in the area of CSR could be carried out to set the scene for further studies. Practical implications - The paper recommends mandatory CSR norms leading to improved disclosure, the sharing of innovative knowledge, cost reductions and enhanced effectiveness in managing scarce resources. Originality/value - The paper evaluates social performance in the economic, social, religious environment and highlights the emerging philanthropic attitude. The paper improves an existing model by incorporating an emerging dimension, i.e. Emissions of carbon and other harmful gases. The CSEEE index designed here is highly appropriate for developing economies like India. The paper measures CSRD using six-point scales for the first time. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited